The Jewelry Exchange Company

What The Jewelry Exchange Company does

The Jewelry Exchange Company is a family-owned custom jewelry retailer and manufacturer headquartered in San Francisco, California, founded in 1983 by Van and Tatiana Mardirosian. The company designs, manufactures, and sells bespoke diamond and gemstone jewelry, with a primary focus on engagement rings and wedding bands and a secondary offering of fashion rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces, men's wedding bands, cuff links, and loose diamonds. Customers engage through a consultative process that begins with an in-person appointment, proceeds through sketches and CAD renderings for approval, and culminates in wax model printing, silver casting, rubber mold impressions, and final casting in 18K or 14K gold (yellow, white, or rose) or platinum, with all loose diamonds certified by GIA or EGL.

The company's core technology is its in-house custom design workflow, anchored by CAD rendering and traditional lost-wax casting, which enables one-off production and iterative customer feedback before final metal casting and hand-finishing. There is no e-commerce channel; all sales occur through two showroom suites within the San Francisco Gift Center/Jewelry Center in the SOMA/Potrero district, serving walk-in appointments and trade customers. Pricing is per-piece, with individual items ranging from approximately $450 to $9,300 and most pieces falling in the $1,000-$6,000 range; interest-free financing is offered for the first six months. Distribution is exclusively regional (San Francisco Bay Area), and the go-to-market is referral- and word-of-mouth-driven, supported by 150+ five-star Yelp reviews and a website featuring shop, gallery, custom design process, and jewelry education content. There are no outside investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed institutional ownership; the business is operated by the founding family plus a small staff including founder's son-in-law Raffi, with Van Mardirosian personally selecting every gemstone and diamond and directly overseeing each project.

Name

The Jewelry Exchange Company

Legal name

The Jewelry Exchange Company

Website

https://jewelryexchangeco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family-owned custom jeweler in San Francisco, founded 1983, designing and manufacturing bespoke diamond and gemstone engagement rings, wedding bands, and fashion jewelry sold via appointment-only showrooms to Bay Area individual consumers and trade buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Jewelry Retail

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310), Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (33991)

SIC

Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944), Jewelry, Precious Metal (3911)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom/Bespoke Jewelry Retail Studios (CRAKAGAJ)

Keywords

• Custom jewelry design
• Engagement rings
• Fine jewelry retail
• Wedding bands
• Loose diamonds

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Jewelry Sales: One-time sales of custom-designed jewelry pieces including engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings, pendants, and fashion rings. Customers work directly with the jeweler through a collaborative design process to create unique pieces. Sales include both in-stock items and custom-created pieces.
2. Custom Design Services: Collaborative custom jewelry design service where customers work with the jeweler to create unique pieces. Process includes consultation, sketching, CAD renderings, wax models, and final casting. The service is bundled with the jewelry sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Jewelry Exchange Company designs, manufactures, and retails custom diamond and gemstone jewelry from its San Francisco showrooms. Its core service is a collaborative custom design process that takes a customer from initial sketch through CAD renderings, wax models, rubber molds, and final casting in 18K/14K gold or platinum, ending with hand-set gemstones and finishing. The company also sells a curated selection of in-stock engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings, pendants, fashion rings, men's bands, cuff links, bracelets, and certified loose diamonds.

Product overview

The Jewelry Exchange Co. is a family-owned custom jewelry design and retail business established in 1983, specializing in bespoke fine jewelry creation alongside curated collections of ready-to-purchase pieces. The core offering centers on custom jewelry design—a collaborative process using CAD renderings, wax models, and traditional casting techniques to create unique engagement rings, wedding bands, and fashion jewelry. Their product portfolio encompasses diamond earrings (halo, cushion cut, pear shaped styles ranging $1,305-$6,190), diamond pendants and necklaces (with sapphires, tanzanite, aquamarine, tahitian pearls priced $475-$9,300), fashion rings with colored gemstones (citrine, tourmaline, sapphire, opal, emerald), men's wedding bands and cuff links, and bracelets. All diamonds are GIA or EGL certified and sourced globally. Jewelry is crafted in 18K and 14K gold (yellow, white, rose gold) and platinum. They also offer jewelry education resources covering diamond grading and precious metals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Jewelry Design Collaborative custom jewelry design service using CAD renderings, wax model printing, rubber mold creation, and final casting in gold, white gold, rose gold, or platinum to create unique bespoke pieces including engagement rings, wedding bands, and fashion jewelry for individual consumers.
• Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands Collection of bridal jewelry including engagement rings and wedding bands in solitaire, halo, pavé, and vintage designs, available in 18K and 14K gold (yellow, white, rose) and platinum, sold to individual consumers and trade customers.
• Diamond Earrings Diamond earrings in round brilliant, pear shaped, cushion cut, and halo styles, with examples including Blue Cushion Cut Sapphire and Diamond Dangle Earrings ($3,060), Diamond Halo Earrings ($4,335), and Pear Shaped Diamond Double Halo Earrings ($6,190).
• Diamond Pendants and Necklaces Diamond pendants and necklaces featuring sapphires, tanzanite, aquamarine, and tahitian pearls, with example pieces including Aquamarine Pendant ($475), Sapphire and Diamond Pendant ($1,480), Double Halo Pear Shaped Diamond Pendant ($2,180), Diamond Halo Earrings ($4,335), and Rose Gold Diamond Floral Pendant ($9,300).
• Fashion and Right-Hand Rings Fashion rings featuring colored gemstones including citrine, tourmaline, sapphire (including padparadscha), opal, and emerald, set in 18K and 14K gold and platinum for individual consumers seeking non-bridal fine jewelry.
• Men's Wedding Bands and Cuff Links Men's wedding bands in polished, hammered, brushed, and diamond-accented designs in white gold, yellow gold, and platinum, along with cuff links, for individual consumers and trade customers.
• Loose Diamonds GIA and EGL USA certified loose diamonds sourced globally and sold to individual consumers and trade customers, available in round, cushion, pear, emerald, princess, marquise, asscher, radiant, baguette, trillion, and heart shapes.
• Bracelets Fine jewelry bracelets available in gold and featuring diamond accents, sold as finished pieces to individual consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 five-star reviews on Yelp, indicating high customer satisfaction and trust.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Leibish: Specialist in natural fancy colored diamonds and gemstones with custom design services. Comparable in colored gemstone bridal, custom jewelry, and premium positioning, alongside direct diamond sourcing.
• Ritani: Online diamond and engagement ring marketplace with custom setting tools and certified loose diamonds. Comparable in bridal focus and custom design capability, though it distributes via online and partner jewelers rather than owned showrooms.
• Brilliant Earth: DTC fine jewelry company specializing in custom engagement rings and ethically sourced diamonds. Overlaps with Jewelry Exchange Co. in bridal and custom design but operates at much larger scale with national e-commerce.
• VRAI: Direct-to-consumer diamond and fine jewelry brand with vertically integrated sourcing and custom engagement offerings. Comparable in bridal DNA and CAD-enabled custom work, though it sells primarily online rather than through showrooms.
• Robbins Brothers: California-based family-owned engagement ring retailer with showroom-style, consultative sales similar to Jewelry Exchange Co. Both emphasize custom design, education, and one-on-one service for bridal buyers.

Emerging players

• Mejuri: DTC fine jewelry brand targeting younger consumers with everyday price points ($100-$2,000). Tangentially comparable as a digitally native jewelry brand built on direct sourcing, though positioned at lower price points and wider assortment.
• AUrate: DTC fine jewelry brand offering diamonds and gold pieces at accessible price points. Comparable in fine jewelry DNA and direct-to-consumer orientation, but operates without showrooms or bespoke design.

Broad incumbents

• Signet Jewelers: Parent of Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared, operating large national chains of jewelry stores. Competes with Jewelry Exchange Co. in bridal and diamond jewelry but at mass-market scale, footprint, and price points.
• Blue Nile: Large online diamond and fine jewelry retailer offering GIA-certified stones and custom settings. Competes with Jewelry Exchange Co. for the same bridal and diamond jewelry buyers but at significantly larger scale and lower price points.
• Tiffany & Co. Iconic luxury fine jewelry brand with bridal, diamond, and custom offerings. Operates at a much higher price tier and brand scale, but addresses the same fine jewelry and engagement occasion-driven demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jewelry-exchange-co.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Jewelry Exchange Company